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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28619604">Your Heart Is A City</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/pseuds/Val_Creative'>Val_Creative</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aang (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Adults, Ambassador Katara (Avatar), Avatar Aang (Avatar), Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Far Future, Humor, Late at Night, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mutual Pining, POV Aang (Avatar), Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Republic City, Reunions, Romantic Friendship, Stubborn Katara (Avatar), Unresolved Emotional Tension</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:01:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,404</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28619604</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/pseuds/Val_Creative</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Teo visits him when they're all adults. Aang's grateful for the company.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang/Teo (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Your Heart Is A City</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>THIS WAS FUN! I DO LOVE ATLA RAREPAIRS! Katara not having a statue always baffled me and I thought this was the most in character reason for this if it had to be canon. Hope yall like this! Any comments/thoughts appreciated! ✨💖</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>*</p><p>Central City Station bustles with energy. It flows like a river sweeping Aang up around an multitude of different smiling faces.</p><p>He stands in the middle of its plaza, nodding and greeting Katara approaching him, scratching Momo's ear.</p><p>His flying lemur warbles happily in Aang's ear and nuzzles him.</p><p>"It looks just like him, doesn't it?" Katara whispers, gazing up in utter admiration to the newly erected statue of Fire Lord Zuko. So new that it glows under the sun. His gigantic, metal hand outstretched proudly, blazing with real gas-ignited flames.</p><p>Aang smirks, noticing the faint gleam in her eye.</p><p>"Why won't you let Zuko build you a statue?" he asks Katara, keeping his voice lighthearted. "Zuko keeps asking and you keep turning him down. He already has plans for Sokka's in front of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. You deserve having one out of all of us."</p><p>It's difficult not to point towards the obvious lovesick nature between them,.</p><p>But Aang manages somehow.</p><p>(He has lost count how many times Zuko grumbled and sighed, and pined, for her over a cup of Iroh's jasmine tea.)</p><p>"… You know that's not true," Katara insists.</p><p>She seems exasperated, but soft-spoken and warm.</p><p>"All of us stopped the Hundred Year War by working together, Aang… but I have been put on a pedestal before…" Aang frowns solemnly at this. He does remember the statuettes of the Painted Lady, and what happened in Jang Hui. "The need to help everyone I could and the recognition I got because of it… something wasn't right. I was lying to you and Sokka and Toph constantly. I was keeping secrets." Katara crosses her arms thoughtfully. "I think I lost sight of what I was doing later because I wanted to feel important."</p><p>"You are important," Aang gently corrects her. How could Katara ever think she's not?</p><p>"A statue <em>isn't</em> important. Not to me." Katara turns to Aang, her bright blue eyes hardening with determination. "I care about what I can do for the United Republic of Nations and the people it brought together. I always will care more about that."</p><p>"I know," Aang murmurs, his smile widening as Katara's shoulders droop. "I just wanted you to hear that you're important."</p><p>She smiles back sheepishly. And it makes him so thankful about the loud and passionate beliefs of his friends.</p><p>He wouldn't have them <em>any</em> other way.</p><p>"You guys haven't changed."</p><p>At the new voice, Aang and Katara whirl around confused at the same time. Momo scurries off into the air. Bright reflections of daylight glitter off Fire Lord Zuko's statue. Aang's eyes strain. "Is that…?" Katara murmurs, shading a hand over her eyes.</p><p>A man approaches them. Dark, tufted hair. A pair of grey eyes crinkle handsomely as he yanks off his goggles.</p><p>"Remember me?"</p><p>"Teo…" Aang breathes, stunned. His heart quickens.</p><p>Katara rushes over, smiling and laughing in high-pitched excitement. Teo rolls his glider a little closer by hand, opening his arms to hug her. He shuts his eyes, grinning and laughing along with Katara. He's older now. His cheeks thinned and bristly with dark hairs. They're all so much older, Aang thinks incredulously. The deep reverberations of Teo's laugh pierce in his chest.</p><p>It's like whatever's inside of Aang's chest <em>lights up</em>. Sprawling and alive like Republic City itself.</p><p>Teo eases from Katara's arms, slyly looking at Aang.</p><p>"So… what do you do for <em>fun</em> around here?"</p><p>*</p><p>After visiting Iroh's tea shop, and reminiscing a little, Katara excuses herself and vanishes back towards Republic City Park. Aang has a vague memory earlier of Zuko making dinner plans. It's not difficult for him to figure out where the lines connect.</p><p>That leaves him and Teo to locate a ferry and exploring the sights of Yue Bay. Everything's smoothly run by waterbenders.</p><p>Aang peeks over his friend occasionally as other passengers wander by, feeling silly. He doesn't know why this feels so <em>different</em>. Teo had been nothing more than a boy like Aang, bright-eyed and high-spirited. Wanting to know true freedom.</p><p>
  <em>Wanting.</em>
</p><p>It seems like a lifetime ago.</p><p>"Are we having fun yet?" Teo speaks up wryly, looking from the waters churning below. He's got a long, flush-colored scar under his left eye, Aang realizes. There's no way to know immediately if it's fighting in the War or from something else.</p><p>"We could go <em>gliding</em>."</p><p>He catches Aang's lighthearted jab. Aang had been so cranky long ago about the difference between gliding and flying with Airbending.</p><p>Teo cracks a smile.</p><p>"Only if you wanna get your butt kicked again, <em>Avatar</em>."</p><p>Aang plops himself down on one of the emptied wooden pallets, grinning bashfully and shaking his head.</p><p>"That's not what happened," he mutters, overhearing Teo's laugh. The sea's wind ruffles against Aang's yellow saffron-colored robes. He nurses a cup of hot leek soup offered by the ferry's captain. Teo cradles his own tin-cup to himself, warming his hands.</p><p>"You look good, Aang." Teo glances him over, his expression much more solemn. "I mean it." Aang's throat clenches up. "When I heard what happened at the South Pole with the nationalists… I thought about finding you. I thought about it a lot. But I didn't."</p><p>Teo's lips quirk downwards. <em>Guilt</em>.</p><p>Aang clears his throat, beaming. "How's your dad, Teo?"</p><p>"He's working for several Earth Kingdom industries out by Gaoling. I've been helping with repairs on their factory equipment. We've been good. Since I was out this way in the Fire Nation colonies, I thought I would stop by and say hi before we move on."</p><p>Something dims inside Aang.</p><p>"You're not staying…" he whispers.</p><p>Teo shakes his head, lowering his head and fiddling with his gloves. "We leave on the rail line in the morning to Ba Sing Se… it's gonna be a long trip." He peers up, smiling again to combat Aang's quiet, disappointed expression. "Got a spare bed?"</p><p>One of the few guarantees of an Air Nomad was their hospitality.</p><p>"You can have mine if you need somewhere to stay."</p><p>The other man brightens. "Really?"</p><p>"Of course," Aang says, helpfully recovering Teo's cup of soup from the ferry's banister-ledge. He gulps down his own cup with a flourish. "I haven't been using it. Things have gotten so busy lately with the Council… I end up falling asleep at Zuko's place."</p><p>Teo hums. A flint of gleeful emotion crosses him.</p><p>"That's a shame."</p><p>He gives Aang an overly amused stare, eyeing him, and then wheeling back towards the deck-side.</p><p>Aang rubs his palms over his face, groaning.</p><p>(What is he in for?)</p><p>*</p><p>Republic City has a long way to go before it symbolizes hope and peace for all Nations.</p><p>A non-bender confronts Hui, the Northern Earth Kingdom representative, outside of City Hall at night. She demands justice for her village raided by a clan of Earthbenders. She will fight for it if she has to. One of her deep green eyes appears visibly bandaged. Sokka attempts to calm her, insisting that she rest and return tomorrow. The non-bender will not hear it. She screeches out, glaring at a crestfallen Aang.</p><p>
  <em>HELP us!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You're OUR Avatar, too!</em>
</p><p>The harshly truthful words ring still in his ears.</p><p>He returns to Air Temple Island bathing in moonlight. It is largely uninhabited with the exception of three Air Acolytes (who help Aang construct a temple to pray for enlightenment, and several other buildings), as well as a nest of ring-tailed flying lemurs.</p><p>Aang doesn't greet anyone, hurrying to his room shrouded in the darkness.</p><p>He drops onto his cot, breathing hard. Tears sting Aang's eyes.</p><p><em>"Aang?"</em> comes Teo's sleepy mumble. A bare, ungloved hand presses up against Aang's clothed side.</p><p>"Mm'sorry," Aang mumbles back, wiping off his face. "I forgot about… I didn't think that… I-I'll go. I'm sorry." He shifts, meaning to stand and duck into the entrance-way, and Teo's hand relocates to Aang's wrist, holding him there. Aang's pulse flutters.</p><p>
  <em>"Hey, it's okay… do you need to talk about it?"</em>
</p><p>Aang doesn't say anything. He curls up this spirits-forsaken darkness, feeling Teo release him.</p><p>
  <em>"Okay…"</em>
</p><p>It's more silence until Teo's muscular arms lock around Aang, comforting him. He maneuvers closer to Aang's back facing him. Aang lets him. Aang would let him do anything. Teo's mouth lightly brushes to Aang's shoulder-joint, exhaling Aang's name.</p><p>Even if it's only for a little while longer… if only until dawn…</p><p>Aang feels grateful for Teo.</p><p>*</p><p> </p>
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